Don’t fool yourself!
Another one of my favorite stories is the story of Esther. The orphan who became Queen and saved her people. There is a point in this story that Esther’s uncle is informing her of a deadly plot; which if allowed to go forward will eliminate the entire Jewish population.
She hesitated; for her to approach the King could cost Esther her life. A very valid fear. Esther wasn’t saying NO, she was calculating the cost. Her uncle’s response; “Esther, don’t fool yourself. God’s plan to save these people will happen. If you choose not to obey, the consequence will fall on you. Whose to say, perhaps you are Queen for this very purpose.”
So often we feel the pressure of needing to take care of and rescue the world. Rescuing the world is quite a challenge. Our responsibility is to obey God. Sometimes that is a specific assignment, but most of the time it is simply obeying His word. If we mess up, we need not worry – we can’t screw up God’s plan. If we choose to disobey, we will know it’s consequences. When we find ourselves in a tough situation, stop, look around, and ask “for what purpose have I been brought here?”